David Finlay and Clark Connors almost had a very different name when they arrived in AEW. Before settling on simply “The Dogs,” the former War Dogs members wanted to call themselves the “Raw Dogs” — but WWE’s Monday Night Raw apparently made that a little difficult.
Speaking on the What Happened When podcast with Tony Schiavone, Finlay and Connors first looked back at their time together in NJPW. Schiavone brought up their connection to the War Dogs and Bullet Club, which prompted Finlay to joke about just how many people had already been part of the famous faction.
“War Dogs. We were War Dogs. War Dogs.”
Finlay wasn’t exactly pretending Bullet Club needed another leader by the time he took over either. He joked that being the fifth person in that position was probably four leaders too many, although there was at least one pretty good reason to keep the Bullet Club name around.
“Yeah. Too many. Too many. I was the, like, the fifth leader, which is like four too many. So, you know, but the merch was good. So, we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s run with it.’”
Finlay described what they eventually did as something of a hostile takeover. They got what they could out of the Bullet Club name before eventually moving on.
“You know, we kind of did a hostile takeover. Cashed out.”
Things changed once Finlay and Connors made their way to AEW. That’s when they revealed that “The Dogs” actually wasn’t their first choice for a team name.
“Well, when we came over here, we just became The Dogs, but we really wanted to pitch the name Raw Dogs. But I think there’s an issue with that whole Monday Night thing.”
The obvious reference was WWE’s Monday Night Raw, and Finlay and Connors didn’t suggest they were particularly heartbroken about having to find another option. Still, they definitely liked the way “Raw Dogs” sounded.
“But it sounds cool because we’re raw f****** dogs, you know?”
That’s how they ultimately landed on the much simpler “The Dogs.” They also like the fact that, despite how obvious the name might sound, it hasn’t really been associated with another major wrestling team before them.
“But The Dogs also is a sick name. It’s just no one’s ever done it before. No one’s been The Dogs.”
Schiavone agreed that the name could work, especially once AEW keeps using it and viewers become accustomed to hearing Finlay and Connors referred to that way. For him, it’s the kind of name that should become more natural over time.
“Yeah. You know, I mean, the more you say it, the more you use it, the more everybody gets used to it, and the more it becomes part of the vernacular of AEW.”
Connors couldn’t really argue with that logic. Now that “The Dogs” is what they’re going with, he agreed that repetition should help make the name stick.
“Yeah. And I — yeah, that’s true.”
So “The Dogs” may not have been Finlay and Connors’ original plan, but it looks like it’s here to stay. “Raw Dogs” apparently ran into a pretty obvious wrestling problem before it ever had the chance to make it onto AEW television.
What do you think about David Finlay and Clark Connors having to change their original idea for their AEW team name? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
